Recording device.



No. 7I3,6I3 Patented Noy. I8, I902. J. 0. DECKERT, G. H. MANN 81. II. A. 'PRIZEFI. RECORDING DEVICE.

(Application filed June 18, 1902.)

(No Model.)

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Nu. 7l3,6l3. Patented Nov. i8, I902. J. o. DECKERT, c. H. MANN & H. A. PBIZER.

RECORDING DEVICE.

(Application filed June 13 1902.)

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(No Model.)

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Ihvrrnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

JOSEPH O. DECKERT, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, CHARLES H. MANN, OF HADDONFIELD, NEW JERSEY, AND HARRY A. PRIZER, OF

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

RECORDING DEVECE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 713,613, dated November 1902.

Application filed June 13, 1902. Serial No. 111,467. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that we, JOSEPH O. DEOKERT, residing in the city and county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, CHARLES H. MANN, residing at Haddonfield, in the county of Camden, State of New Jersey, and HARRY A. PRIZER, residing in the city and county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, all citizens of the United States, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Recording Devices, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention consists of an improved recording device, and has for its object to provide means for facilitating the recording matter under different items or headings and at the same time to make a duplicate copy thereof.

The invention also consists of novel details of construction, all as will be hereinafter set forth. Y

Figure 1 represents a perspective view of a recording device constructed in accordance with our invention. Fig. 2 represents a horizontal section thereof, partially broken away for convenience of illustration. Fig. 3 represents a perspective view of the frame carrying the duplicating means. Fig. a represents a section thereof taken on the line m 00, Fig. 3. Fig. 5 represents a perspective view of one of the movable members forming part of our invention. Fig. 6 represents a longitudinal section of one of the frames carrying the duplicating means and the sheets, taken on an enlarged scale. Fig. 7 represents a plan view of a corner of one of said members with the duplicating means in place and partially broken away for convenience of illustration. Fig. 8 represents a fragmentary view of an end portion of the frame carrying the duplicating means on an enlarged scale. Fig. 9 represents a sectional View of the corner portion thereof taken on the scale shown in Fig. 6.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the figures.

Although it will be understood that our invention can be used for various purposes wherein it is desired to facilitate recording various matter under different items orheads yet, in order to illustrate the same, we will take the case of the shipping department of an express office, where the way-bills are made out, as this will illustrate many of the advantages of our invention. In making out way-bills of the express matter between Philadelphia and New York, for instance, there will be about twenty stations, and the express agent at each station receives a copy of the way-bill, while the duplicate thereof is kept in the sending-office. In making out these way-bills an attendant calls out the indentifyingmarks on each package, together with the destination, 850., but promiscuously, as he handles the different packages, so that the clerk in making out the waybills as at present has a number of loose waybills, corresponding to the difierent stations, upon which the necessary matter is written as the same is called out by the attendant. This necessities loss of time and a great inconvenience, and it is further necessary after the way-bills have been made out to copy the same, so that the way-bill may be sent with the goods.

By our invention We contemplate notonly making a duplicate copy of the way-bill simultaneously with the making out of the original copy, but also to facilitate the making of the original, and to accomplish this we employ a plurality of movable members suitably supported normally one above the other and which are provided with the duplicating means. These members are independently movable, so that while they normally stand one above the other any one can be moved to one side of the normal position, so that the recording-sheet carried thereby can be written upon, it being understood that in writing upon the uppermost recording-sheet a copy is made upon the next one below by reason of the fact that between the said two sheets is situated the duplicating means. Thus a way-bill for each station may be carried by each of these members, while, if necessary, one member may carry a plurality of waybills, according to the business of the station. In this way as the attendant calls out the identifying-marks and destinations of the different express-packages the clerk can quickly move the number carrying way-bill corresponding to the station to one side of the others and make the necessary record thereon and at the same time make a duplicate and readily return this movable member to its original position and move another member carrying the way-bill of another station to the writing position as occasion requires. Then when the entire shipment is closed all that is necessary is to removethe duplicate copies and forward them at once on the train carrying the express matter without necessirating the delay caused by making the copies, while at the same time it obviates the expense of the labor necessary in making these copies.

In the drawings we have shown a convenient form of apparatusembodying our invention which may be carried by a main frame or casing 1, having a plurality of compartments 2 and guide-ledges '3 extending along the sides thereof from the outer edge of each compartment. Situated within each of these compartments 2 and resting upon the ledges 3 are the movable members 4, which, as shown in Fig. 5, may conveniently consist of trays fitting within said compartments and having lateral projections or guide-pins 5 at their inner ends situated within the guide-grooves 6 in the sides of said compartments. The forward ends of these guide-grooves are closed, so that when the member is drawn out to its full extent said projections or pins 5 engage the front ends of the guide-grooves 6 to prevent the withdrawal of the member 4 from the front end of the compartment,while at the same time it allows the member to be tilted downwardly or inclined, as shown in Fig. 1, so that it forms a convenient writing-table, it being noted that said members 4 are provided with finger-pieces 7 at their outer ends to manipulate the same. Although the said movable members may consist of any convenient supporting-frame, we have shown them in the form of a tray, in the bottom of which can be placed a plurality of sheets 8, Fig. 6, upon the top one of which the copy of the original way-bill is made by the duplicating means. The duplicating means 9 may consist of any approved device for this purpose, such as an ink-impression sheet or carbon-paper, and is carried by a frame 10, that fits within the tray or member 4, the outer edge of the frame being conveniently provided with the downturned flange 11, that conveniently rests upon the sheets 8, as shown in Fig. 6, while parallel with this outer flange and along the inner edge of the frame is the inner flange 12, which carries the duplicating means 9 conveniently by a plurality of spurs 13, Fig. 8, on the outer side of said inner flange 12, upon which said duplicating-sheet 9 is hooked. It will thus be seen that the duplicating means 9 forms wit-h the flange 12 a sort of receptacle, and extending inwardly at the corners of the frame 10 and from the upper side thereof are the corner-plates 14, that overlap said receptacle,

while at the inner end thereof and between the sides is an overlapping lip 15. At the forward end of the frame 10 is a finger-piece 16, by means of which the frame can be raised, which when the frame is in place within the member 4 projects through the notch 17in the front edge of said member.

The operation is as follows: When the device is in use, each of the movable members 4 may be provided with a plurality of sheets 8, that are supported upon the bottom thereof and upon which is placed the frame 10, carrying the duplicating means 9. The sheet 18, upon which the original record is made, is placed within the frame 10, being bent, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 6, to insert the same, while its corners are retained by the corner-plates 14, the overlapping projection 15 serving to aid in holding the sheet 18 in place. It is understood that any number of these movable members can be used in connection with each other as found desirable, and in using the same, for instance, in making out a way-bill the said members will contain the sheets 8 below the duplicating-frame 10, while the original sheet 18 will be placed within each of said frames 10. The outer ends of the members 4 are provided with certain indicating characters to show the station or stations to which the way-bills belong, and then when the attendant calls the destination of the package the clerk draws the cor rect member outwardly to the position shown in Fig. 1, which exposes the original waybill 18. Then the clerk can make the necessary items, at the same time making a duplicate copy upon the uppermost sheet 8 by means of the duplicating means carried by the frame 10. If the destination of the next package called out is for another station, the said movable member previously pulled out can be quickly returned to its place and the proper one withdrawn, upon which the items can be made. It is thus seen that the movable members, the duplicating means, and the way-bills are movable together and that while ordinarily they are situated one above the other, yet any one can be moved to one side independently of the others to expose the original way-bill, while by reason of the notation upon the front end of the members the necessity of having separate and disconnected way-bills from which the proper one must be selected is obviated. When all of the way-bills have been completed, all that is necessary is to raise the frame 10, carrying the duplicating means, and to remove the upper sheets 8 of the diEerent members and immediately forward them with the train, thus obviating any delay after the packages have been itemized upon the way-bills.

It is further understood thatif the number of items are sufficient to fill up all the space on the way-bill all that is necessary is to remove the sheet ]8 and the uppermost sheet 8, and then by inserting a new sheet 18 the one above the other and each of said members being movable independently, to one side of the others, and duplicating means carried by each of said members and movable therewith.

3. In a device of the kind specified, a plurality of members normally secured together one above the other and independently movable to one side of their normal position, and duplicating means carried by and movable with said members.

4. In a device of the kind specified, a plurality of independently-movable members suitably secured together, said members being provided with duplicating means, and means movable with said members for supporting a sheet above and a sheet below said duplicating means.

5. In a device of the kind specified, a plurality of independentlymovable members suitably secured together, removable frames carried by said members, said frames being provided with duplicating means.

6. In a device of the kind specified, a plurality of independently-movable members suitably secured together, said members being provided with means for supporting sheets, removable frames for said members adapted to rest upon said sheets and duplicating means carried by said frame, said frames being adapted to support a sheet upon their upper sides.

7. In a device of the kind specified, a plurality of independentlymovable members consisting of trays, removable frames situated within said trays, and duplicating means carried by said frames.

8. In a device of the kind specified, independently-movable members suitably secured together, and removable frames carried by said members and provided with duplicating means situated below the upper faces of said frames.

9. In a device of the kind specified, a plurality of independently movable members suitably secured together, said members being provided with movable frames, depending flanges upon said frames, and duplicating means carried upon said flanges.

10. In a device of the kind specified, a plurality of independentlymovable members, removable frames carried by said members, said frames having depending flanges provided with spurs, and duplicating means secured to said spurs.

11. In a device of the kind specified, a plu rality of independently movable members suitably secured together, removable frames carried by said members and provided with duplicating means situated below the upper side thereof,and in wardly-extending portions at the upper sides of said frames adapted to retain a sheet.

12. In a device of the kind specified, a plurality of independently movable members suitably secured together, movable frames carried by said members, duplicating means carried by said frames below the upper side thereof,andinwardly-extendingcorner-plates at the corners of said frames.

13. In a device of the kind specified, a plurality of independentlymovable members suitably secured together, movable frames carried by said members, duplicating means carried by said frames below the upper side thereof, inwardly-extending corner-plates at the corners of said frame, and an inwardly extending projection at one end of said frame.

14;. In a device of the kind specified a plurality of independentlymovable trays suitablysecured together, and duplicating means carried by each of said trays and movable therewith.

15. In a device of the kind specified a plurality of independently movable members consisting of trays, frames carried by said trays and duplicating means carried by said frames.

JOSEPH O. DECKERT. CHARLES H. MANN. HARRY A. PRIZER. Witnesses:

JOHN A. WIEDERsHEIM, WM. CANER WIEDERSHEIM. 

